In Australia the carbon tax tabled by the Labor government is struggling to gain acceptance. Every week sees another industrial pressure group come out against the bill.

There have been demonstrations all over the country, led by "shock jock" radio broadcasters, focusing on the prime minister, Julia Gillard. Her poll ratings have dropped steadily since the bill was launched in February.

The Australian government has been trying to step up measures to combat greenhouse gas emissions since 2007. In terms of overall volume, Australia is still only a limited source of pollution, but it has one of the highest levels of per capita CO2 emissions in the world. Coal generates more than three-quarters of its energy.

For the first three to five years the price will be fixed, then the carbon tax will be converted into a cap-and-trade mechanism. The main sectors targeted by the tax are energy, mining and transport. By 2020 Canberra aims to have cut emissions by 5% on 2000 levels.

But a significant share of public opinion is opposed to the tax. The Liberal opposition's leader, Tony Abbott, has toured the country in protest against "the new tax". People's main fear is that electricity prices will go up.

The government seems to be taking a big risk. It may well be dangerous to take on the mining industry, which has enjoyed substantial growth since the early 2000s. Only last year plans to tax mining profits played a large part in bringing down the then prime minister, Kevin Rudd.